1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of sports equipment and especially to equipment for the sport of golf. In particular, the invention relates to a golf training aid.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
A good golf swing underlies all shots, from the teeing area through shots near the green. The fundamental aspects of the swing stay the same, but the length and pace of the swing vary depending on the shot and club. Ideally the head is squarely aligned with the ball at the point of impact. How the player""s wrist is flexed and cocked during the swing affects whether ideal contact is made with the ball. A significant part of learning golf is learning the most efficient and consistent wrist motion for the forward or target hand. For a right handed player, the forward or target hand is the left hand. For a left handed player, the forward or target hand is the right hand.
At the moment of impact of the club head with the ball, the shaft of the club, the wrist of the target hand, and the forearm of the target hand should all be aligned along a common axis, as explained herein. The wrist of the target hand should not be flexed forward, i.e., in the direction of the stroke, and should not be flexed backward, i.e., lagging behind the stroke, at the moment of impact.
The art has devised a number of devices to achieve the proper wrist position. These devices typically restrain the wrist to hold the wrist, forearm and club shaft generally in alignment along a common axis. The following United States patents are incorporated by reference herein: U.S. Pat. No. 2,154,197, U.S. Pat. No. 2,831,196, U.S. Pat. No. 4,502,688, U.S. Pat. No. 5,180,169, U.S. Pat. No. 5,456,650, U.S. Pat. No. 5,492,331, U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,247, U.S. Pat. No. 5,638,548 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,555.
A golf training aid in accordance with the present invention is designed to help a golfer achieve a dependable, repeatable and effective swing. The device of the invention permits the golfer to utilize the full unrestrained flexibility of the wrist of the target hand so that the proper motion can be achieved throughout the backswing, the contact stroke and the follow through. If the wrist is restrained, a full follow through cannot be achieved with the desired fluid motion. As a consequence, the golfer must stop the stroke short of a full follow through or use an awkward finish to the swing, both of which are undesirable. A short swing requires the golfer to decelerate the stroke too rapidly, which may cause an injury or result in a muffed shot. The alternative to rapid deceleration is to play a soft shot, which is also undesirable since the distance of the shot is reduced.
Preferably, the device of the invention does not appreciably restrain the motion of the wrist of the target hand. The device of the invention utilizes a golf glove which has been modified in a novel way to provide a tactile reminder which conditions the golfer to align the target forearm, the wrist of the target hand and the club shaft at the moment of impact between the club head and the ball. The tactile reminder is comfortable to wear and does not interfere with finesse or cut shots which require wrist action which deviates from that used in a full swing.
In one embodiment of the invention, as described herein, the tactile reminder is a thin strip inserted in the golf glove. The strip is not tightly fixed to the golf glove and may be moved axially along the hand of the golfer to provide an increase or a decrease in the tactile sensation provided by the tactile reminder.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a golf training aid for teaching or improving a person""s golf swing. It is another object to teach a golfer the proper wrist action in performing a full or distance swing. It is a further object to provide a golf training aid which does not substantially restrict the wrist action during the full stroke of the club and which permits a modified wrist action for finesse or cut shots. Other objects and features of the invention will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.
The invention summarized above comprises the constructions hereinafter described, the scope of the invention being indicated by the subjoined claims.